Featuring music from the Badger State
and the surrounding area.To showcase the "lesser known music",Independent music,and bands with ties to Wisconsin.
Music from the past and recent past.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Wisconsin Rocks Volume 9 1964-1969 Roo-Buh-Doo-Buh-Doo!

Wisconsin Rocks Volume 9 shoots right back into the 60's,and starts out with a terrific cover of "I Can Tell", gee who hasn't done a version of this song,it's a great one by The Marauders from 1964. The Journeymen do a version of the Yardbirds classic "Mister You're A Better Man Than I", I kind of love their other song on here "Realities In Life" which just rolls along much better than their cover. See kids,your own songs are much better! Cover songs are always going to be judged alongside the originals,and often fall short of wonderful. It's hard to compete with the Yardbirds...Now the Girls Take Over would most likely whip the Yardbird's asses easily. Their song "Hi Heel Sneakers" feels a lot like a precursor to The Runaways. We love that tough chick band sound around here!The Girls Take Over are perhaps the highlight of this comp. Woah, dig their sound. An speaking of chicks who rock...Raylene & The Three Hoods kicks your ass as well with a version of "Shakin' All Over". Yow! I love The Faros,this song appears on the wonderful Highs In The Mid-60's /Pebbles comps with "I'm Crying" (vintage 1966) also a cover by Eric Burden & The Animals. Speaking of more covers...The Hitchhikers do "One Too Many Mornings", terrific folk rock sounds here from 1967.The Crucibles from Madison do a credible surfy-garage song called "Beware Of Birds"... and it appeared on Madtown Records. The Coachmen "Movin" doesn't quite fit,because it's an early 60's track,from 1962 and has the instrumental surf sounds, but I still like the total primitive sound to it! I'd rather hear that than a lame attempt at the Beatle's track "Hey Bulldog", another weak yet charming track is the version of "Hole In My Shoe". Where do you know that track from? It's Traffic that originally did it. Some things just should not be revisited.Oh well, everyone wants to be a rock star,right?Another highlight of this particular comp is my favorite The Statesmen with "Roo-Buh-Doo-Buh-Doo" a really silly,wonderful track,that's unforgettable,it moves right along and sounds like a take off of the fabulous Minneapolis band the Trashmen or possibly the Rivingtons type mumble jumble silliness that in fact makes a great pop song! Those are the ones that kids like!Those are the ones that sell! Shoulda coulda been a hit! Well, it's a hit with me.I doubt you will find anything more fun, than this music from Wisconsin! Enjoy!

15 comments:

Holy Smokes! I just finished listening to volumes 7,8 and 9. Omce again, you have hit it out of the park.Great variety and some tunes I never knew of before.Thanks for sharing this great history, I'm really enjoyng these lessons.

Hi:No,I read the Sandmen were from West Bend,Wisconsin,maybe the mistake was mine or the CD liner notes said that.But I knew they were from West Bend,I double checked The Badger Beat book written about Wisconsin rock music,and that says West Bend too. I love the Sandmen! "World Full Of Dreams" is at the top of my list,in spite of some people saying they sing or play out of tune...that just does not matter to me. Perhaps the record is played at the wrong speed when they said that,or maybe the record got pressed slightly off center. That happens.I'm glad people like the music here,I'm going to post more things as I can get to them.

Well...the 70's,we'll get to that period soon...don't you like the 60's? Why do you like the 70's? Anything in particular you want to see posted here?

The 60's were better in my opinion...the bands in the 70's got all bloated and Led Zeppelin-ey. Long tedious guitar solos that sound like Spinal Tap. 15 minutes of drums solos,and guitars just playing the same one note...

Then the music finally comes to it's senses in the late 70's with punk...new wave...where the bands get to the point. Anyways,you'll have to wait a short while longer,and then that way you will come back and check. We like visitors here,to check out some of the other music posted in the past.

Thanks, Stephanie, for the extra info about The Sandmen. I'm already looking out for other songs by that band.I also have two song by The Sandmen from Minneapolis - but I guess that's another band.Regards,AZ54

Don't be so sure that's not the same Sandmen...many Wisconsin bands ended up on Minnesota labels,simply because many Wisconsin labels couldn't afford to put out every local band's efforts.Also bands went to play live all around the Midwest,and it wouldn't have been weird for a band looking for another studio to work in,and press records,with another label hopping to see their songs maybe get in the charts.

For example:Cuca Records couldn't keep up with the initial pressing of Muleskinner Blues by The Fendermen,firstly Cuca Records didn't have a pressing plant(at the time) and had to send out for pressing records to Chicago,and they couldn't keep up,the song took off in the charts,Soma Records saw an opportunity to take over/re-record the song and re-issue it.And that's where the trouble started...The initial pressing of Muleskinner Blues was on Cuca records.

Small labels did put out a lot of records in the 60's,and sometimes the records got picked up by larger labels.The larger labels used the small labels as a proving ground to see how the records might sell too. Also if a small/local band suddenly took off,and had only pressed 500 records,sometimes the larger labels would take a chance and press more copies.It was also a great opportunity to cash in on a band too.They were in it for money.It was a business,after all.

Well Stephanie, maybe you're right. The songs I was talking about were "You Can't Tell A Book From Looking At It's Cover" and "I Can Tell" on the label Studio City. On the Garage Hangover site Chas says: "Almost certainly not the same Sandmen from West Bend, Wisconsin, who cut the excellent World Full of Dreams on Night Owl."Interesting! Just like the mention of that song Night Owl.Regards,AZ54

Chas is correct this time,it's not the same Sandmen.I guess we all want to hear more Sandmen,don't we?! Wish that band lasted longer than one or two singles.I never found out the names of the guys in the band,I was hoping someday to track them down. The songwriting credits are all I have to go by. It makes me wonder if they morphed into another band.

Regarding the 70's comment: there were quite a few good pop/rock bands around the state during that period (Clicker, Bad Boy, Cimarron Show Review, Kansas Road Band, to name a few) that put out some fine singles. Would love to see a comp revolving on these. BTW, these sets are fantastic, too! Thanks!

Theabs06:Sure there was some good rock in the 70's,I'm working through a series of The Wisconsin Rocks Discs.I was joking about the 70's...How the series was laid out is beyond my control. I am only posting in an order by numbers. So everyone can get a taste of this cool music.

I heard some of the bands you mentioned,and hope the comps coming soon represent that 70's Wisconsin music you want.I think the series is great,but with flaws,I could add more music that was not on this series,easily.I especially found some 60's bands records missing,but only a few. (I'm making a comp of that as an add on,but it's not finished or a full disc yet) It's still better than most comps that stick to a regional theme. There's lots of comps on CD and vinyl that only scratch the surface. CD's are always limited to roughly 25-32 tracks per disc,so it's hard to contain every band from this area. This series runs roughly 30 disc long! And I hear there's a separate set of R & B comps from this state which I would love to hear! So,you see,this is still not complete! Hard to believe there's this much music from the Wisconsin area.

Thanks so much for posting these awesome Wisconsin collections. Being a home boy and collector of Wisconsin music, this is like opening a treasure chest. I have a few Wisconsin singles posted on my blog, should you want to add them to your Wisconsin collection. The Cobblers from Oshkosh and the Sons of May from Rhinelander. Thanks again.

GaragePunk66 love your blog! You're doing a great job filling in the stuff I either missed or haven't got the time to post lately. But I'll be back. I have the next volumes ready,but I am so busy,I really need at least 8 more arms and another body,and brain to keep going.Wish science would catch up!

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